CROWN OF CREATION

Not a masterpiece, and not a best rock album around, but this is a very good rock record - actually a fine example of how a decent rock album should sound like.

We have to face it;this one sounds dated. If you are no fan of late-sixties-west-coast-Vox-Continental-fuzzed-guitar-driven sound, you probably won't like this one (or any other JEFFERSON AIRPLANE efforts).

However, this album contains half a dozen gems, brilliant lyrics all over the place and some incredible atmospheres - from merry to scary. For example, opening organ riff on "The House At Pooneil Corners" could easily be classified as heavy metal prototype, and a very successful and scary one, too. If only that Vox was replaced by guitar...however, this is a nice piece of psychedelia.

There are two ballads that stand out of the rest of the (very good) songs here: moody "Triad" and touchy "Lather". "Triad" is a mellow ballad with bluesy guitar overtones and beautiful Grace's voice singing about her love for two man at the same time. Brilliant. "Lather" is one of saddest songs ever written, and that should be enough to say. I will only mention genius middle part with vocal orchestrations of horns. Brilliant. Again.

Two more mainstream yet pleasant tracks are "Greasy Heart" and "If You Feel", both on hard-rockier edge, the last one with scent of hippie-idealism and lovely vocal harmonies. There is also excellent rocker "Crown Of Creation", again with vocal harmonies, excellent message, and it sounds so sincere. "Share A Little Joke" is another good tune with scary, psychedelic ending.

I must not forget "Chushingura". Clocking at one and a quarter minute, this instrumental experiment is one of the first, pioneering attempts of use of electronic music in pop music!

Brilliant. Again and again.